Hearts Grow Fonder
by alynwa
Summary: Originally written for the Quote Me Challenge on LJ. Napoleon is missing Illya.


**THE QUOTE:**

Friendship needs no words – it is solitude delivered from the anguish of loneliness.

**MADE BY:**

Dag Hammarskjold

Napoleon was sitting on his terrace holding a glass of single malt scotch as the sun went down and the lights of the City came up. He sipped a bit more and then held up the glass and twirled it slowly. _Sometimes, I think I drink too much, but after what I've been through, I don't think I drink enough. _

He and Illya had been on a two – pronged mission that had him tracking yet another mad scientist through Europe as he offered his services to any despot willing to pay his price while Illya was in India locating and destroying the caches of weapons the aforementioned scientist had stashed around the country before they could be shipped to their buyers. Whenever the scientist met with another prospective client, Napoleon would surreptitiously photograph the meeting and send it and the location to the local UNCLE office for their agents to pick up the bad guy at meeting's end while Napoleon continued to follow his assignment.

_I was thinking this mission was the easiest one I'd ever had; a piece of cake! I didn't have to engage the enemy until I was certain he had finished with all his meetings and then I was just going to dart him, put him on the UNCLE jet and bring him to European HQ. Yeah, right. I can't believe he made me! Practically caught with my pants down like some new jack rookie by his goons. Those hallucinogenics he gave me…_

He shuddered at the memory. Drug induced visions and the torture he endured while under the influence almost broke him. Fortunately for him, after two days of sadistic interrogation and punishment for not talking, he was rescued by two agents from the Barcelona office.

What followed after that was two days in Barcelona's Medical Unit waiting for the drugs to clear his system. _Every time I would wake up and look around and not see Illya, I would just feel so…isolated. The nurses and doctors were professional and they tried to be kind, but I could tell they felt a little intimidated by my reputation. That and the fact that they would speak Catalan Spanish to each other instead of the Castilian that I understand made me feel even more alone. I just kept missing Illya._

He stood up and went back inside; twilight had deepened into night and the cool air had chilled him. He turned on his living room lamps and went to look out the window. _Illya should be here soon. I can't believe how much I've missed him!_

The doctors had not cleared him for duty, but they had informed Mr. Waverly that he could travel back to NYHQ on the UNCLE jet on a gurney with a medical team. Once they landed, an UNCLE ambulette transported him to NY Medical where he spent another week recuperating from the worst of his injuries. _I wanted to talk to Illya, but he was still on his part of the mission and under a communications blackout. All I could get out of Lisa Rogers was that he was making his scheduled call – ins and would be home as soon as he was finished._

_We've been partners for five years and I knew we had evolved into best friends, but I didn't realize how close I feel to him until I was in Medical and he wasn't there. He's never not been there before when I was injured and laid up in Medical. I felt like my right arm was missing. _He walked into the kitchen and pulled plates, cutlery and glasses from the cabinets as he was expecting the Russian to bring dinner. _It is so true that sometimes, the only person you want to see, the only one you want to talk to and be with is your partner. _Napoleon smiled to himself. _Napoleon, you have turned into a sentimental idiot. It's a safe bet Illya does not share this feeling._

Napoleon heard Illya's coded knock and he moved to the foyer, looked through the peephole and then opened the door. Illya stood there with two fairly large bags of food and another bag full of liquor. "Are you going to just stare at me, Napoleon, or are you going to help me with these bags?"

Smiling, Napoleon grabbed away the bag of bottles, walked into the kitchen with Illya right behind him and the two men placed the bags on the counter. He pulled two bottles of vodka out, placed them in the freezer and extracted the one already in there while Illya removed what seemed like a never – ending parade of Chinese takeout containers out of the remaining two bags. "You _do _remember it's just you and me for dinner?" he grinningly inquired.

"_Da_, but I was told that you have spent nearly three weeks eating nothing but horrible medical clinic alleged 'sustenance' so I figured you would be ready for a lot of good food. I've brought all your favorites." Illya turned to face his partner and saw that he was being watched closely. "What?"

Napoleon stepped closer. "Don't hit me," he said before pulling his partner into a bear hug, "I just missed you, that's all." He half – expected the smaller man to push him off and give him one of those glares that earned him the nickname "Ice Prince," but he was pleasantly shocked when the Russian, who had initially stiffened, relaxed into and returned the hug.

"_Ya oopoostil vas, toʐye, moy droog. Eto bolʲno mnye znatʲ, chto vi poloochili ranyeniya, i ya nye bil tam dlya vas_. (I missed you, too, my friend. It pained me to know that you were injured and I was not there for you.)"

They stood that way for a moment longer and then separated. Wordlessly, they fixed their plates and drinks and sat at the kitchen table, eating in companionable silence, glad to be in each other's company once again.


End file.
